A slice of Italy

When this writer imagines her Italian holiday a collage of a margherita pizza served on a chequered clothdraped corner table graced by slanting sun rays comes to mind Not walking into a cold mall Yet somehow in her second outpost in the city at an upscale BKC mall chefrestaurateur Ritu Dalmia has managed to capture a bit of the Italian sun and warmth It streams in at the far end of Motodo amid an array of greens through giant glass windows onto cosy rattan chairs a cluster of pastamaking posters and shiny saltandpepper holders shaped like aubergines mdash the chefrsquos favourite wersquore toldAgnolottildquoI used to always say wersquoll never open a restaurant in a mallrdquo chuckles Dalmia loudly proclaiming herself as a ldquohypocriterdquo ldquoBut malls have changed now along the lines of what you have in Dubai Istanbul and Italyrdquo she reasons The Italian restaurant is a partnership between Dalmia and Jio World DriveDiavola and MammamiaAfter staying away from the economic capital for years itrsquos the celebrity chefrsquos second restaurant in the city after Tasting Room by Diva in a span of a little over three months The brains behind the Diva chain of restaurants reveals shersquos always admired Mumbairsquos energy and work culture ldquoI was too much of a coward before and didnrsquot want to make life more difficult by having to move around But during COVID19 we had to shut down three to four units in Delhi so my workload there has halved Irsquove started spending a lot of time in Goa and shuttling to Mumbai from there is much easier And if I say never it means nothingrdquo she admits laughing before flitting away to the open kitchen around which the cosy restaurant is designedThe interiors of Motodo PicsSayyed Sameer Abedi Bipin KokateLike Dalmia the fare and ambience at Motodo mdash an acronym for mozzarella tomato and dough mdash is unpretentious hearty and wholesome ldquoThis is not finedine Itrsquos a highquality ingredientdriven place thatrsquos not intimidatingrdquo she reminds us nudging us to eat first photograph later And we yield biting into a thin smoky slice of Diavola Rs 840 relishing the spicy salami topping sharp jalapentildeos and stringy mozzarella A plate of bruschetta with tomato and basil Rs 390 and with a dollop of pesto roasted peppers and caramelised onions Rs 390 is elevated by the surprising freshness crunch and juiciness of the produceAs a nod to the elegant Italian flavours the bar comprises aperitivos featuring negronis cocktails Italian spritzes bellinis and wines Our ginforward Mammamia Rs 695 offers a boozy punch of passion fruit pureacutee and pineapple juice It complements our next fruity escape mdash a heavenly agnolotti Rs 790 The pasta originating from Piedmont Italy is a sweet and slightly acidic combination of roasted pears ricotta burnt butter and sageChef Ritu DalmiaAmong the mains we try risotto saffron lamb ossobocco Rs 990 The saffronlaced risotto alla Milanese offers a homely comfort with its sweet aroma creamy rice and slowcooked lamb We wash it down with a glass of negroni erbe Rs 895 a refreshing bitter infusion of gin vermouth dry campari and herbsPut on your stretchy pants for dessert because just one Divarsquos classic tiramisu Rs 540 mdash subtle and light as air mdash isnrsquot going to be enough The crispy meltinthemouth bombolini Rs 490 packed with chocolate and hazelnut ganache on a bed of runny custard is a worthy competitor too We suggest you order both mdash especially if like us your Italian holiday is currently the stuff of dreamsOpens TomorrowAT Level 2 Jio World Drive BKC 12 pm to 1 am Call 8591802205